Our stay at Kyoto Gion U-Bell Hotel was overall very good! The staff were extremely friendly, spoke great English, and the rooms were spacious, well-equipped, and spotlessly clean. Towels and trash bins are replaced daily if left in the hallway, but full room service is only provided from the fourth day onward. The location is also super convenient, with a 24/7 Lawson convenience store right across the street. However, there is one major downside—though it’s not really the hotel’s fault. The surrounding streets are full of people at night trying to lure you into shady services, from suspicious massages to hostess bars and more. The moment you step outside (or return), someone will approach you within seconds, which is both annoying and uncomfortable. Once, a guy even followed me into the hotel lobby after I unlocked the entrance door, and I couldn’t see any staff at the reception at that moment. Despite this, I would still consider staying here again, especially with friends. But I wouldn’t book it for a family trip due to the sketchy nighttime surroundings.

The Ubell is a small hotel in a great location in Gion. The rooms are modern, clean and comfortable. There are many restaurants close by and it’s not far to the metro. It is close to several popular sites and we found it a really good location to explore Kyoto from. Our favourite restaurant that we found was just up the road called Teppenyaki Manryu is definitely worth a visit. We went twice and absolutely loved the food, relaxed vive and friendly service. We needed to book though because it only seats 12.

We recently stayed at this hotel during our visit to Kyoto, and overall, it was a pleasant experience. The room was smaller compared to our other accommodations in Japan. We had booked the standard twin room, and it still provided enough space for us to comfortably open our suitcases and have a seating area. The staff were always polite and eager to help with any request. One thing to note is that the hotel doesn’t offer luggage delivery, but there is a convenience store right across the street that does provide this service. We did read in a previous review about ladies outside the hotel promoting a club; we found this to be true but also harmless. It only happens on one side of the building, and they are usually in front of the club. If this bothers you, stick to the main road near the convenience store and you’ll be fine. The hotel's location is another plus—it’s close to several train stations, which makes it easy to get around, and it’s situated in Gion, on the quieter side. This makes it an ideal spot for those who want to enjoy the atmosphere of Gion without the crowds of tourists. Overall, we had a very nice stay.

The staff at this hotel do not seem to check messages sent through Booking.com, so if you have any questions or need assistance, it’s best to have your hotel reception call them directly.

The hotel is located on a narrow but rather busy street in the Gion neighborhood, with a kombini (Lawson) just across the street and also several restaurants. It's also just about 5 minutes away the Gion-Shijo station (entrance 9 is the nearest one) which helps a lot when exploring the city. Also it's just 2 blocks away from the Shijo avenue which is a really vivid place with several stores and things to do. The hotel staff was really polite and helpful and also they had a really good english! They also provide lots of amenities in the front desk. The room is simply amazing. It is very spacious with an incredibly comfortable bed with high quality sheets and pillow, great lighting, with outlets both conventional and USB ones which was very handy. The room also had a 2 person sofa, a small table, a desk with a chair and a small fridge. They also provide slippers and pajamas for you to use. The bathroom was decent sized with everything you need, a good shower on a bathtub, good quality shampoo, body and face soap. They room service works every day and they change towels, sheets and clean your room and the out the trash.

Not a complaint but just a note, the hotel itself does not have a luggage delivery service but the Lawson just across the street does have, so it's a great tip if you're going to stay there and are planning to use this service.

BEST location: Small hotel with quiet rooms in the heart of Gion, the Geisha district, to many sights and restaurants, transportation to other major sights and to Kamo River, where one get away from crowds. Room amenities: fridge, bathtub, coffee/tea. Room cleaned every 4 days but towels and garbage changed everyday. No breakfast but there is a 24-hr Lawson’s convenience store right across, starbucks and tulley’s coffee shops that open 8/8:30 am atound the corner. Staff: very friendly. APP to translate is helpful.

We would have preferred a double bed instead of 2 large singles.

Personel is very nice Location is in the center,room is big enough, beds and pillows are comforable,windows are noise cancelling. Market right in front of the hotel. Late check out is available for additional price

The toilet bowl and its cover was very very dirty , air conditioner was dirty I requested a double bed through Booking messaging, nobody answered and we were settled in the room with two single beds. There strange girls along the street where the hotel is situated staying late at night offering « massage » service🧐

location was perfect. quiet but near where all the action is. everything is walkable. we loved crossing over the bridge to Pontocho. there’s a Lawson convenience store directly across. there’s also a lot of good massages in the area. dining option was plentiful (check out Sui in Gion) room was slightly bigger than others I’ve stayed in. clean. i love that you can drink tap water in Kyoto

the pillow was a bit hard and high, but the hotel staff was so kind to find an alternative cushion for me

That they told us it will be cleaned after 4 days and we stayed there only 3 days.

The staff were very helpful, the room was exceptionally clean and comfortable. It was also very quiet and located close to bus stops and plenty of restaurants. I also liked that they didn’t service the room, and you received clean towels each day.

Only thing is they won’t send your luggage onto another hotel, you will have to do this through the convenience stores (one across the road which was super).

The best hotel we stayed at in Japan! The room was great, very spacious. The staff were very helpful and the location is fantastic!

The only minor downside is the lack of internal laundry in the hotel, however there is one very close to the hotel. This wasn’t an issue at all for us though, and we recommend this hotel highly!